Experiential Placements

The School of Pharmacy has developed the following set of guidelines to clarify the role of Preceptors and Students:

1. The Student Should:

appreciate that practical experience, closely supervised by a registered pharmacist, who shares their valuable time and experience, will be of great professional benefit
make the most of this opportunity to learn professional skills and apply pharmacy theory to practice
be aware that, at times, the Preceptor may be unavailable to teach. Students should continue to demonstrate initiative and willingness to learn by using this time to research any questions, interact with other staff and make discreet observations
read the Guidelines For Preceptors for an explanation of what they may expect from their placement

2. At the Placement:

Students must wear the School placement shirt and professional attire, an ID badge and be well groomed (no jeans, sports shoes, sunglasses, or baseball caps!)
The student must maintain professional behaviour standards (Code of Professional Conduct) and in no way discredit the pharmacy
Customers should not be misled that the student is a registered pharmacist
Students must respect patient and doctor confidentiality (delete all names, addresses, or identifying features from any case studies or examples of patient medication histories that may be included in any work book)
Students must treat all staff with respect and courtesy
In order to experience all facets of community pharmacy, students should learn and/or participate in the duties of all pharmacy staff
Students must take all due care with pharmacy equipment and other property
All matters of business must be kept confidential

3. Attendance:

The student must regularly and reliably attend their placement at the prearranged times. If a student is unable to attend they must notify their Preceptor (preferably before the placement or as soon as possible after) to arrange a make-up time

4. The student must NOT receive any remuneration for their placement:

this would undermine the flexibility of the learning experience
remuneration invalidates any University of Queensland insurance cover
Students do not have professional liability insurance

5. Students should maintain a record of their attendance that is verified by their preceptor

6. Ask your Preceptor if you are unsure about any aspect of your placement

7. Students should notify the Placements Officer or Academic Supervisor of any issues or problems.

Please note that NO CHANGES TO PLACEMENTS MAY BE MADE WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL from the Academic Supervisor.

InPlace

The School's Placements Systems, InPlace, is a tool used by Bachelor of Pharmacy students to access various forms and information.

Access to InPlace is only available once you have completed the enrolment process.

Students will use InPlace to:

Manage your experiential placement program
Check placement approval (Note: no placement can commence before approval is granted)
Apply for rural allowances

Please use your UQ Username and Password to access InPlace.

Placement Dress and Behaviour Standards

While on placements, students must be dressed and conduct themselves in a manner which is appropriate to the accepted workplace requirements.

Students MUST:

complete the experiential placement as a non-remunerated professional practice learning opportunity under the direction of the placement Preceptor;
wear the School of Pharmacy Placement shirt (available through QPSA)
wear black/blue trousers or skirts; trousers are to be appropriate to a professional healthcare workplace (no hipsters, not baggy, not skin tight); skirts should be of a suitable length as appropriate to a professional healthcare workplace (i.e. no mini skirts); no shorts; no denim clothing (jeans; skirts; shorts; jackets); no baseball caps;
wear the Placement Identification badge as supplied by the School of Pharmacy; if this badge has been lost it MUST be replaced as soon as possible. The student will be responsible for all replacement badge costs. More information on obtaining a replacement card can be found here.
wear appropriate closed shoes; no sports shoes;
be well groomed; no sunglasses;
have no midriff (stomach) showing; no underwear visible;
not present with visible body piercings or tattoos except those deemed appropriate under the placement Workplace Health and Safety (Occupational Health and Safety) guidelines;
turn off mobile phones when attending the placement;
not use/access any workplace resource unless with the approval of the placement Preceptor (this includes all electronic resources);
maintain professional/workplace behaviour standards (see Code of Professional Conduct) and in no way discredit the workplace or the School of Pharmacy;
contact the School Placements Pharmacist to discuss any issues which affect the completion of a satisfactory experiential placement.

PLEASE NOTE: If a student attends the Placement dressed or acting in an inappropriate manner, the Preceptor may choose to remove the student from that placement. If this occurs the student may not have the opportunity to redo the placement and the Course Co-ordinator will be advised so they can take appropriate action.

Experiential Placements

InPlace

Placement Dress and Behaviour Standards

Prepare for your placement